OASIS   (2000, 52min)

This film examines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from an unusual angle. It focuses on how these two rival nations overcome their long-standing differences at the Oasis Casino in the Palestinian town of Jericho.

Established by an Austrian company to promote tourism in the region, the casino has become a microcosm of everyone involved in the conflict. The clients are Israelis, and the earnings are going to the Palestinians.

But this remarkable story is told from the perspective of a third group, the foreigners (mostly British), who actually operate the casino. Though they live in the surrounding Israeli settlements, they come every day to work in Palestinian-controlled Jericho.

How do they perceive the hordes of Israelis, who surge to Jericho in pursuit of Mammon? What do they feel about the wide-eyes Palestinians, who stare in wonder at this magical anomaly in their desert home? Could the casino and the wealth it offers to both Jews and Arabs hold the key to peace in the region?

The story of Jericho’s casino has never before been told on film. Set against the tide of dramatic events expected to change the face of this region, Oasis promises to be a surprising, funny, and very human film.